Richard Forrest, Bachelor — page 81: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

72 “LOOKS LIKE FATE,” ‘Indeed, I actually believe you were smitten with her yourself,’’ said Arthur, unamiably. ‘‘It occurs to me, if my memory serves me correctly, that you were the very person that advised me to do as I did.’’ ‘“That’s right; you could not have acted differently un- der the circumstances. I’m not blaming you; I’m only ruminating.’’ ‘It’s barely possible you might consider the fatal step yourself one of these fine days,’’ said Arthur, ‘‘in spite of your extreme views on the subject.’’ ‘‘No danger, I’m too old, my boy; I’ve seen too much. Hang it all, I sometimes wish I hadn’t seen the beginning and ending of so many matrimonial ventures. Itmakes me feel so blase, so confoundedly grandfatherly.’’ ‘‘Men older than you marry,’’ observed Arthur, shortly. ‘Yes, Dolly’s husband did, for instance, and the daisies are growing on his grave, and the pathetic part of it is, they aren’t of her planting—or nobody believes they are. No, thank you, I’m wise in my generation; at my age a man admires, where at yours he loves, or imagines he does. The blood cools as you mature, which is a blessing, for if it were otherwise, what an endless lot of love-sick old geese you would stumble across! It is pitiful to contem- plate. But you, you should have married this charming girl, Arthur, and I dare say you would have done so and been happy ever after, had the old people not meddled.”’ ‘What is that about the ‘dead past,’ Dick? Suppose we change the subject. Can you tell me what has become of Dolly? I have not seen her since I got back from the other side.’’ ‘“Dolly is a busy woman,’’ replied Forrest, on dit she is tired of living alone and is on the hunt for another hus- Gomichooksrcom